IUCN Director General's statement to UN Biodiversity Summit
In his statement "Addressing biodiversity loss and mainstreaming biodiversity for sustainable development", IUCN Director General Dr Bruno Oberle stressed the importance of stopping biodiversity loss to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Photo: IUCN
Wednesday, 30 September 2020 - Dr Bruno Oberle, UN Biodiversity Summit
Biodiversity is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history, causing fundamental harm to nature and people.
IUCN draws urgent attention to the nature emergency, while recognising that it must be tackled in tandem with climate change. We can address this emergency through the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, with targets that “add up” from local to national to global levels.
Together, we must halt the loss of biodiversity by 2030 and strive, through restoration, for “net gain” by 2050.
The framework must be for everyone: the Rio - and biodiversity - related conventions, all governments, the private sector, indigenous peoples, local communities, and all of civil society. It must clearly link to the 2030 Agenda and communicate how biodiversity conservation is critical to sustainable development.
A crucial ally is nature itself. We must use Nature-based Solutions, which benefit nature and people by protecting, sustainably managing, and restoring ecosystems. Fundamental to this are standards, such as the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions, which ensure that these solutions are truly effective and qualifiable.
As we tackle the nature emergency together, the economy is key. We must stop investing in activities that deplete nature, and we must abolish incentives to exploit and degrade nature. Operations in sectors that can negatively affect biodiversity – including extractives, agriculture, infrastructure, forestry, and fisheries – must change and contribute to biodiversity.
Governments are beginning to insist that companies disclose their impacts on biodiversity, and the finance sector is recognising the risk to the economy posed by biodiversity loss, and starting to charge for loans contributing to it. Investment is necessary, and must leverage the achievement of biodiversity targets while generating economic benefits and conserving biodiversity.
In this way, we can redirect efforts towards building economies that sustain and regenerate nature.
We look forward to discussing these ideas further at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille, where the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework will be high on the agenda.
Watch the video
Sign up for an IUCN newsletter